Maltby won't let snow stop him from attending morning skate

It's said that the Detroit Red Wings' veterans, by and large, are the most dedicated to coming down to the Joe for their game-day morning skates, and Kirk Maltby certainly embodies that philosophy:

February 1, Detroit News: With all the snow out there Friday morning, coach Mike Babcock made Friday's morning skate an optional.

Several players attended, including Matt Ellis, Derek Meech, Chris Osgood, Kirk Maltby and Niklas Kronwall (who is rehabilitating a sprained shoulder) as the Wings prepared to play the Colorado Avalanche Friday night.

Babcock didn't like the idea of players taking too much time driving in the bad weather conditions, so he made the morning practice an optional. The Wings also play Saturday in Boston, so there's the issue of doing too much.

But for a player like Maltby, there was no option Friday morning, even when he looked outside and saw all the snow. He wasn't going to stay home.